Cooking-container-holding unit and automatic cooking-container-conveying device incorporating same

A cooking-container-holding unit configured to hold a cooking container, the cooking container having a cylindrical container body configured to receive a food material so that the food material is freely stored and an annular circumferential wall portion that is concentric with the container body and extends at least in one of an upward direction and a downward direction from a flange part, which is provided on a container outer circumferential surface of the container body, the cooking-container-holding unit comprising:

• a pair of upper and lower container-holding parts that sandwich the annular circumferential wall portion of the cooking container;
• a holding drive part configured to detachably hold the cooking container in a cantilever manner with the pair of upper and lower container-holding parts;
• and
• a container displacement drive part configured to displace, in accordance with cooking operation, the cooking container held by the holding drive part, wherein
• at least a part of one of upper and lower container-holding parts freely abuts against the container outer circumferential surface of the cooking container,
• one of the upper and lower container-holding parts includes a container fitting groove into which the annular circumferential wall portion of the cooking container is fitted in a loosely fitted state;
• the other of the upper and lower container-holding parts includes a push-in piece configured to push the other side section of the annular circumferential wall portion of the cooking container toward the one side, and
• at least a part of one of upper and lower container-holding parts is capable of contacting the outer surface of the cooking container.